Put Safety First In Your Spring Break Trip Abroad

We are coming up on spring break for families, and for many, that means a family trip.

One thing that is essential when you are planning for your trip is to research where you are going. As you can expect, if you are traveling outside the US, you should spend more time researching the region, city and neighborhood you are going to be staying.

As I have stated many times in my travel security seminars, going to Germany is much different than going to Mexico. You should at least look at the following risks: violent, civil unrest, corrupt or reliable police, terrorism risks and past/present health conditions of the area. So once you pick your vacation spot, then you need to begin your, as we say in the security business, intelligence gathering.

A week ago, I completed a trip security report for a couple going to an exclusive resort approximately 30 from a city in Mexico. In doing my report, I looked at Mexican electronic area news media outlets, free private security reports, State Department Websites and other country government Internet sites to get a feel of what has been happening in the last couple of months.

Especially in Mexico and other dangerous vacation spots, you need to know extremely well what the security climate in the location your are going to be staying in. These Internet sites told me there were 2 drug cartel hits in the area this past year but no tourists were targeted or hurt in the crossfire. Also they said that most crime was non-violent and committed at night. Also the sites told me to be aware of pick-pocketing and the need to lock up valuables in your hotel room because there have been cases of where hotel rooms have been broken into and electronic devices, credit cards and money was stolen.

With this intelligence, I put together a report that highlighted what was happening at the location they are traveling to and gave them security advice to keep them safer from those incidents plus others that may arise.

Here are some tips if going overseas for your spring break:

• Register your trip on the US state department Website so the consulate knows you are in country if you have any problems or incidents.
• Avoid all demonstrations or other civil disturbances; leave the area
  immediately if caught in an impromptu assembly
• If you are staying at a resort, use a shuttle, do not rent a car. If going on tours, work with the resort to set up transportation do not just flag down a cab.  Resist traveling at night.
• Be aware of your surroundings just as you do on a busy street, city park, or at a shopping mall.
• If traveling with children, your levels of security awareness need to be heightened. Children need to be supervised at all times
• Limit cellular phone and technology use to avoid being distracted. But keep cellular phone charged to report suspicious activity.
• Petty thieves prey on travelers, especially on those who appear lost, onfused or alone in an unfamiliar environment.
• Avoid carrying a purse or wallet. You will often be in crowded areas that are prime hunting grounds for pickpockets and purse snatchers. If you need  your wallet keep it in your front pocket. Keep valuables locked in safe in room.
• Deal only with authorized agents when you exchange money, buy airline tickets or purchase souvenirs. Do not change with currency unauthorized individuals.  Make a copy of your passport and keep the real passport in safe.
• Avoid walking alone at night. If you must: 1) Don't take shortcuts or go off well-traveled roads, 2) If disorientated, ask directions only from individuals of obvious authority, 3) Do not accept rides from strangers or new acquaintances.

What to look for in a safe hotel 

• If possible, select a hotel with has installed modern electronic guest room locks. The majority of these locks automatically change the lock combination with every new guest so there is little chance of someone having a duplicate key to your room. If you lose or misplaced your key,
  ask to have your room re-keyed immediately.
• Is each room equipped with a dead bolt lock and a peephole?
• Fire sprinklers in hotel rooms, hallways, and meeting rooms likewise for smoke detectors. If each room is not equipped with a smoke detector, are sprinklers systems installed in the hallways or is your only hope the local fire department?  You don’t want to rely on a foreign fire department to get out of the hotel!
• Each room telephone should allow outside dialing.
• Guest phones located in hallways and lobbies should not allow direct room dialing. Anyone using the phone should have to call the operator and request a room by guest name, not room number.
• Secure locks on windows and adjoining doors.
• Well-lit interior hallways, parking structures and grounds.
• Hotels that have limited access to hotel structure, generally the more limited the access; the less likely a trespasser will enter.
• The parking garage should not have elevators taking passengers to guest floors. It should only go to the lobby.
• Does hotel provide personnel trained in guest security and available for escorts to rooms and auto when requested?
• Is the hotel located in a high crime rate area, especially when traveling overseas?  Check with the US Embassy's Resident Security Officer in that country and they can alert you of areas to stay away from.

When arriving and checking into your hotel room

• If you arrive in a bus or cab, stay with your luggage until it is brought into the hotel lobby.
• Keep a close eye on your luggage, purse, etc., when checking in. If the lobby is busy, thieves will often take advantage of the distractions to take your things with them.
• If you are staying in an older room which still has the older guest door locks with metal key, one of first signs of how a hotel treats the issue of security is to observe how hotel room keys are controlled.  If it is checkout time and a pile of metal room keys are laying on the front desk, the hotel is not too concerned about your security. Anyone can take and key lying on the desk. This is not a big concern if the hotel is using electronic key cards but is if the metal keys have the room number embossed on it. You will find this more prevalent overseas.
• Ask the front desk personnel not to announce your room number. Rather, tell them to write it down or point to it. If the desk clerk should do this, explain the problem and asked to be given another room. You never know who is listening.  Your room number is a matter of security, and the fewer people that know your whereabouts, the better.  There’s no need to announce it to the entire hotel lobby.
• When registering, sign only your last name and first initial. Don’t use titles or degrees. Makes it harder to determine gender, marital status or profession. If you are a women traveling alone, you might consider booking your room as Mr. and Mrs.
• Don't leave your credit card lying on the check-in counter while you complete your registration. Also make sure the credit card that is handed back to you by the hotel clerk is really yours.
• Instruct the desk not to give out your name and room number and ask for them to call you if someone inquires about you.
• Immediately upon check in, get two business cards or matchbooks with the hotel name and address on them. Place one by the phone in the room so you know where you are and keep the other on you when you leave so you know where to come back to. If you get lost, you have the address and phone number handy.
  
  
  http://www.parentdish.com/2010/05/28/taking-the-family-to-a-hot-spot-abroad-stay-safe-by-planning-ah/